How would you build a UPI payments app for senior citizens? What features would you include in the initial release and why? How would you measure its success? If the first release is well-received, what would you prioritize for future updates?

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How would you build a UPI payments app for senior citizens? What features would you include in the initial release and why? How would you measure its success? If the first release is well-received, what would you prioritize for future updates?

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Agrim · Answer 1 · 2024-05-12T05:10:46+0000

Are considering a completely new app or will this be an additional feature on existing apps like phonepe or google pay? = New App

I am also assuming that this is India focussed app. Though UPI is now available in other counteries also, i would like to focus on India

for 1st phase, Target users already know about the UPI.

Now lets look at the user journey:

1. Users will install the app

2. Users will have to signup for the UPI account.

3. If there are multiple bank accounts associated with current phone number, select the bank and the account number

Post registration, UPI app will be used for making payments

Payments can be made by following modes

1. Scanning the UPI QR Code

2. Sending to a phone contact

3. Sending to a Phone number (Not in Phone Contact List)

4. Someone (Person) Sending a request for payment

5. A business (eg Gas utility company) asking for payment

6. Setting up regular payments (eg pay monthly for a subscription)

7. Giving a mandate (eg mandate for mutual funds)

lets try to segment our user base.

We are already talking about Senior Citizens. Lets divide them based on education, technology familiarity and UPI familiarly

Technology - familiar, Not Familiar

UPI - Advanced User, uses with help, never used before

Education : Advanced education (Graduation or more), basic education (high school), EDUCATION

Given that i have heard many recent instances of fraud and people being duped, for the 1st phase, I would like to focus on users who have basic education (they can read. Assumption : people who cant read have many other issues also for using a phone), Have basic understanding of technology and UPI. Means they use UPI once in blue moon. mostly they prefer to deal in cash. another Assumption is they dont use Card payments.

I am ignoring the market size for this specific scenario. The focus here is on user experience and product design for a particular user segment. We've established the target audience and their needs, so we can move forward with brainstorming features and functionalities for the initial app launch.

Lets park that for now. Now, from our earlier discussion around user journey, lets see for the selected segment, what we would like to focus on

My sense is that we should focus on following journey points, along with reasoning

1. Scanning the UPI QR Code - Most common use case for making payments through UPI

2. Sending to a phone contact - P2

3. Sending to a Phone number (Not in Phone Contact List) - Important. Many vendors give phone number for payment

4. Someone (Person) Sending a request for payment - Among the most common methods for Fraud

5. A business (eg Gas utility company) asking for payment - Not common

6. Setting up regular payments (eg pay monthly for a subscription) - Happens after user initiates

7. Giving a mandate (eg mandate for mutual funds)- Happens after user initiates

I would like to focus on #1 and #4. If you want me focus on something else, please let me know.

Now lets look at some of the potential problems/difficulties

1. QR Code

1. Difficulty in finding the scan button

2. Difficulty in scanning

3. Difficulty in entering the amount or if the amount was embedded in QR code (eg scanning the QR code on Payment machine), difficulty in reading

4. Remembering the UPI PIN

2. Receiving Payment Requests

1. Identify who has sent the request

2. Were you accepting money instead of Paying (among the most common fraud mechanism - call the victim, convince that you will be getting huge money, just enter the PIN)

3. Is the amount agreed upon or is missing a decimal etc

Now, lets look at some of the solutions we can think of

1. Overall, increase the bigger font sizes.

1a. Overall increase the ight contrast colors across the app.

2. For the 1st phase of the app, have only 3 functionalities : Scan the QR Code, Select Phone Number and Pay, Enter Phone Number and Pay, Approve the payment request

3. For the QR Code : Increase the button size. for the 1st time usage - Explain what QR Code looks like. After the scan is done, on the screen where amount is to be entered - Highlight the merchant name. Ask for the confirmation so that user knows the right merchant. After user enters the amount - Ask for double confirmation - You are paying "X" amount to "Y" Merchant. If the amount is embedded in QR Code, we can also ask user to enter the amount again and match it to nearest rupee. As it may be difficult for users to enter the decimal amount.

4. For the incoming requests : Try to get the user details - eg merchant name of user name.

Ask the question : Do you want to Pay? Button - Should say text like "I want to pay" and "I am expecting money"

5. Ask for double confirmation before the UPI pin screen comes.

SANGEETA PANDEY · Answer 2 · 2024-05-11T12:21:35+0000

How would you build a UPI payments app for senior citizens? What features would you include in the initial release and why?

Is it being built for senior citizens across the globe or only in a specific region such as India? à India
Is it being built for any specific platform like Android or iOS? à No
We already have multiple UPI payments app such as PhonePe, GPay available in the market. Are we thinking of building something form scratch or enhancing the existing ones to suit the needs of our target segment? à Enhancing the existing ones to suit the needs of our target segment
Can we consider senior citizens of affluent as well as rural backgrounds? à Yes
Are there any budgetary and time constraints I should be aware of?
Senior citizens of India are people above the age of 60 years.

UPI stands for Unified Payments Interface. It is an instant real-time payment system developed by NPCI to facilitate inter-bank transactions through mobile phones. The vision to build UPI payments is to elevate India's payment systems and provide users with affordable, accessible, and convenient digital payment options. Our product goal is to provide our senior citizens with accessible and convenient digital payment options.

Some of the senior citizens are retirees, some might still be working as consultants or operating their own businesses, some might be staying alone, some might be staying with their families, some of them might be avid travelers, traveling every month and so on. At this point, I will not really prioritize any specific target segment from the above list but look at the pain points of this entire target segment of senior citizens.

So, I will structure my answer by discussing their pain points and prioritize a few of them. Then, I will brainstorm a few solutions and prioritize them based on effort, impact on users and alignment with product vision.

Pain Points:

Uncomfortable with usage of technology and mobile applications in general – P3
No one to show them how to set up UPI payments on their smartphones – P1
Afraid of linking their bank account having their full retirement savings as they don’t trust technology – P3
Unable to remember the steps to make the UPI payment because they don’t see it as a free flowing process – P1
No one by their side to correct them while they are doing the UPI payments the first few times to get used to the process – P2
Many times forget the pin or the passcode required for a successful UPI payment – P2

To be able to use UPI payments app, the first and foremost thing is to set it up and make the payment. Difficulties in the above 2 processes is of the highest priority. Though the 1st pain point of being uncomfortable is the 1st hurdle to be crossed, I believe it is only by embracing and using technology can someone be more comfortable with it. Just as it is with any other life skill such as driving, swimming etc.

Now, lets discuss a few solutions:

Remote UPI app setup
Voice guided UPI app setup and payment
Video guided UPI app setup and payment

Solution 1: Remote UPI app setup and payment:

It should be possible for others (somebody not staying with the senior citizen) to setup UPI app for the senior citizen. In their own UPI payments app, the other person should be able to feed in the senior citizen’s phone number, link the senior citizen’s bank account and setup the pin/passcode and setup the UPI payments account. When the senior citizen installs the app and clicks to open it, it just asks for the pin/passcode and the account is already setup for him/her.

Solution 2: Voice guided UPI app setup and payment:

As soon as the person installs the app and clicks to open it, there is a calming voice of the virtual assistant speaking in the language of the person’s choice and completely guides him/her throughout the setup and payment process. The virtual assistant also has the capability to guide and tell the person if he/she is clicking on something wrong and where to find and how to click on the right thing. There can be an underlying model to not only understand clicks but also understand the person’s eyeball movement and guide him/her accordingly. It should be a 2 way communication i.e., at any step if the person has any doubt, the virtual assistant should be able to understand it.

Solution 3: Video guided UPI app setup and payment

As soon as the person installs the app and clicks to open it, there is a video explaining to him/her in a calming voice of how easy it is to setup UPI payments and start using it. The video is in the person’s preferred language. The video now starts showing the step by step process of setting up the UPI payments app in the same screen as an overlay. Until the person finishes 1 step, the video does not proceed and gets locked. If the person is unable to complete the step, the video plays again from the previous step. The same process is followed for the UPI payment process as well.

Depending upon the technical feasibility and impact on user’s goal of being able to setup and make UPI payments without any person’s help and alignment with the business/product goal, I will go with an amalgamation of solution 2 and 3. Not sure whether technically it is feasible to remotely setup any application not just UPI payment. The technology of virtual assistant already exists and can be effectively used for solution 2.

Initial release features:

When not setup, clicking on the app plays a small video talking about the benefits and convenience of UPI payments, after enquiring the user’s preferred language. (The video can be stopped and closed if required as the same app will also be used by people comfortable with tech)
Now the solution asks if he/she needs a guide to set up the account. The user can say Yes/No in the preferred language or click on the screen.
If a guide is needed, now, the solution shows the 1st step in a video. Next, the screen to perform the 1st step appears with a guided voice of what to be done, along with highlighting of areas in the screen. Intermittently, reminds the user where to click to go back to the video.
If the user fails to finish the step, the video gets automatically replayed.
The 2nd and 3rd steps are repeated for all the steps in the UPI payment setup flow.
Once setup, clicking on the app asks the user how would he/she like to do the payment option and accordingly guides the user through the steps, as the user completes one step after the other.

Please note the above solution is enabled by default. Anybody can switch it off by going to the settings of the UPI payment app. Also ask for feedback after the payment as well as after the setup.

How would you measure its success?

To measure success, will consider the following metrics:

No. of senior citizens who have setup an account using the above solution
No. of senior citizens who have made atleast 1 UPI payment using the above solution
Active UPI payment users using the above solution (monthly)
Frequency of usage of the above solution
% of senior citizens who used the above solution to setup and make payments and are no longer using the solution to make payment
Feedback

Also, look at the health metrics of other users of UPI payments app.

If the first release is well-received, what would you prioritize for future updates?

While analyzing the initial phase rollout, will obviously look at the setup and payment steps where the person is taking a lot of time and is getting stuck and will try to improve those areas. In the second phase, will rollout the following features:

The virtual assistant also has the capability to understand and correct the person if he/she is clicking on something wrong and where to find and how to click on the right thing – P1
The virtual assistant should be able to respond to the doubts of the person at each step – P3
There can be an underlying model to not only understand clicks but also understand the person’s eyeball movement and guide him/her accordingly. – P2 (eyeball tracking tech already exists)